BY-LAWS
OF THE
FACULTY OF THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
(Adopted by a vote of the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences on February 12, 2002)
(Updated by a vote of the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences on November 5, 2013)
The Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Missouri—Kansas City,
formally organized as a deliberative and legislative body to establish procedures and
policies governing the work of the College (cf. Collected Rules and Regulations of the
University of Missouri 300.020, E, 3), to participate in academic decision-making (300.020,
A), and in general to carry out the responsibilities and functions delegated to the faculty
by the Board of Curators of the University of Missouri (10.030, D., IV, 2), will be guided by
the following By-laws.
The Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences promotes and defends basic principles
articulated by the American Association of University Professors. These include academic
freedom and tenure; primary faculty responsibility for curriculum; primary faculty
responsibility for hiring, promotion, tenure and dismissal of faculty; shared responsibility
for hiring of administrators; and major faculty responsibility for institutional governance
and budgeting.
Academic freedom includes, among other things, A) First Amendment Rights -- freedom of
speech, press, and assembly in teaching, in research and publication of results, in
deliberating institutional policies, and in citizenship outside the academy; B) Fourteenth
Amendment Rights -- due process procedures on the job; and C) Job security -- the most
effective way to guarantee these rights and practices.
ARTICLE ONE: Definition of the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences
1. The Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences includes and is limited to all full-time
members of the Faculty on continuous regular appointment (tenured) or regular tenuretrack appointment whose primary appointment is in the College of Arts and Sciences, as
well as the President of the University, the Chancellor, the Provost/Vice Chancellor for
Academic Affairs, and the Dean of the College.
1.1 1.1 Faculty on non-tenure track academic appointments in the College of Arts and
Sciences who are benefit eligible, and faculty members with joint appointments in
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the College but whose primary appointments are outside the College may participate
in meetings but may not vote.
ARTICLE TWO:
Meetings of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
1. Faculty meetings are of two kinds: Regular and Special.
2. Regular meetings of the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences shall be held at 2:30 P.M.
on the second working Tuesday of the months of September, October, November,
February, March and April.
2.1 The Steering Committee may postpone a Regular meeting for not longer than two
weeks.
3. Agendas for all meetings are prepared by the Steering Committee and transmitted to the
Faculty.
3.1 Agendas for Regular meetings shall be distributed to the Faculty no later than six
working days prior to the meetings.
3.2 Agenda items proposed by ten members of the Faculty in a written communication to
the Chairperson of the Faculty shall automatically be placed on the agenda of the
next Regular meeting of the Faculty.
3.3 The last item on all agendas for Regular meetings of the Faculty shall be 'The Last Ten
Minutes'.
3.31 The primary purpose of the 'Last Ten Minutes' is to allow Faculty members to
propose agenda items for the next Regular meeting of the Faculty. The
suggestions must take the form of a motion and have the consent of a majority
of the Faculty present.
3.32 Agenda items approved in the “Last Ten Minutes” must appear on the agenda
for the next Regular meeting of the Faculty and shall appear on the agenda
before other discussion or action items.
3.33 Following such motions a maximum of three members may make three-minute
statements from the floor. No general discussion of these statements is
permitted.
3.4 The Office of the Dean of the College shall assist The Vice-President/Secretary of the
Faculty in the preparation and distribution of agendas and minutes of all Faculty
meetings.
4. In cases of particular urgency, special meetings of the Faculty of the College of Arts and
Sciences can be called at the request of one fourth of the faculty, by the Chancellor, by
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the Dean of the College, or by majority of the Steering Committee, which shall prepare
the agenda of such meetings.
4.1 The agenda for a Special meeting shall be transmitted to the Faculty no later than
three working days prior to the meeting.
4.2 Agendas for Special meetings shall be dedicated to consideration of extraordinary
issues and shall not include business normally taken up at Regular meetings of the
Faculty. 4.3 Any action taken at a Special meeting becomes an item for
reconsideration on the agenda at the next Regular meeting of the Faculty.
5. All faculty meetings shall be open to members of the public, who may not, however, take
part in the discussion.
ARTICLE THREE: Offices and Terms of Office
1. The Chair of the Faculty
1.1 The Chair of the Faculty presides over all Regular and Special meetings of the Faculty,
except those called by the Dean or the Chancellor.
1.2 The Chair of the Faculty also presides over all meetings of the Steering Committee.
1.3 With the concurrence of a majority of the Steering Committee, the Chair appoints all
ad hoc committees mandated by these By-Laws, as well as such other ad hoc
committees as are deemed appropriate by the Steering Committee or the assembled
Faculty.
1.31 Ad hoc committees report directly to the Steering Committee.
1.4 The Chair is elected by the Faculty for a term of two years commencing on August 1 of
the first year and ending on July 31 of the concluding year.
2. The Vice-Chair/Secretary of the Faculty
2.1 The Vice-Chair/Secretary of the Faculty shall assume all the functions and prerogatives
of the Chair if the Chair steps down during his or her term or is otherwise unable to
fulfill the duties of the office, and shall serve until the next regular election, when a
new Chair will be elected to serve for the remainder of the former elected Chair's
term, if necessary, or to a full two-year term.
2.11 If the Vice-Chair/Secretary of the Faculty assumes the Chair, the Steering
Committee shall then appoint a member of the Faculty to the office of ViceChair/Secretary to serve until the next regular election, when the former
elected Vice-Chair/Secretary will return to that office for the balance of his or
her term, if necessary. Otherwise, an election to a full two-year term in this
office will be conducted.
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2.2 The Vice-Chair/Secretary of Faculty sees to the distribution of agenda to the Faculty,
prepares the minutes of Faculty Meetings and distributes them to the Faculty,
prepares the minutes of Steering-Committee meetings and distributes them to the
Steering Committee, and maintains the Faculty's archives.
2.21 The Vice Chair/Secretary shall distribute the minutes of all Regular and Special
meetings of the Faculty no more than two weeks after meetings.
2.3 The Vice-Chair/Secretary shall be elected by the Faculty for a term of two years
commencing on August 1 of the first year and ending on July 31 of the concluding
year.
3. The Steering Committee
3.1 The Steering Committee shall serve as the Faculty executive body.
3.2 The Steering Committee shall establish agendas for all Regular and Special meetings of
the Faculty.
3.3 The Steering Committee shall develop policy recommendations concerning the future
of the College and submit them to the Faculty for its consideration.
3.4 The Steering Committee shall rule on the appointment of all ad hoc committees
except those called for by the assembled Faculty.
3.5
The Steering Committee shall receive reports from standing and ad hoc
committees on a regular basis. The Steering Committee may in unusual
circumstances call special joint meetings with any standing or ad hoc committee.
3.6 The Steering Committee shall act as a liaison between the Faculty of the College of
Arts and Sciences and the Dean of the College, the Faculty Senate, and other
appropriate academic entities and officers. The Chairperson of the Faculty shall
conduct the requisite correspondence.
3.7 The Steering Committee shall report its activities to the Faculty at each Regular
meeting of the Faculty.
3.8 The Steering Committee is composed of the Chair of the Faculty, the ViceChair/Secretary of the Faculty, the Dean of the College (ex officio), and nine members
elected by the Faculty.
3.81 The elected members shall be divided equally among the three Divisions of the
College: Social Sciences, Humanities, and Natural Sciences. The terms are to be
staggered: each year a single member will be elected to a three-year term from
each Division
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3.82 The Chair and Vice-Chair/Secretary serve two-year terms. The members
elected from the Divisions serve for terms of three years.
4. The Rules Committee
4.1 The Rules Committee concerns itself with proper adherence to procedures at
meetings of the Faculty, interpreting and applying the By-Laws of the Faculty. It may
from time to time recommend changes in the By-laws.
4.2 At least one member of the Rules Committee shall be present for all Regular and
Special meetings of the Faculty.
4.3 The Rules Committee is composed of three members, one from each Division of the
College, serving staggered terms of three years.
4.4 The Rules Committee shall elect a committee Chair from among its members each
year.
4.5 The Rules Committee, the Chair of the Faculty, and the Vice-Chair/Secretary constitute
the Elections Committee, which conducts all elections of Faculty Officers and
Standing Committee members.
4.6 The Rules Committee shall promptly notify all members of the Faculty of the results of
elections and shall see to it that each sitting committee chair receives particular
notice of the new composition of the committee.
4.7 The Office of the Dean of the College shall provide the Rules Committee with the
necessary lists of faculty and assist the Committee with the distribution of eligibility
lists, ballots, and notification of the results of elections to the Faculty.
5. The Curriculum Committee
5.1 It is the responsibility of the Curriculum Committee to deal with such curricular
matters as it is charged with by resolution of the Faculty of the College.
5.2 The Curriculum Committee shall, when appropriate, recommend changes in the
general degree requirements to the Faculty, through the Steering Committee. Action
regarding such recommendations shall be taken only at Regular meetings of the
Faculty.
5.3 The Curriculum Committee is composed of nine elected members of the Faculty, each
staggered terms of three years, with three members from each Division of the
College.
5.4 The Curriculum Committee shall elect a committee Chair from among its members
each year.
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5.5 No two elected members may be from the same Department.
5.6 The Dean of the College shall sit as an ex-officio member.
5.7 The Committee shall submit an annual report to the Faculty at the last Regular
meeting of the academic year. This report shall include a list of all additions,
modifications, or deletions of courses.
6. The Academic Standards Committee
6.1 The Committee shall rule on all special applications or petitions for admission,
readmission, or continuance on probation, as well as on exceptions to the general
requirements and regulations.
6.2 The Academic Standards Committee is composed of nine elected members of the
Faculty, three from each Division of the College, each serving a term of three years,
and the Assistant or Associate Dean with primary responsibility for student academic
affairs. The Director of the Academic Advising Office of the College, the Director of
Admissions, and the Registrar are ex-officio members.
6.3 No two elected members may be from the same Department.
6.4 The Committee shall elect a committee Chair from among its elected members each
year.
6.5 The Committee shall submit an annual report to the Faculty at the last regular meeting
of the academic year.
7. The Budget Committee
7.1 The Budget Committee is composed of seven members, including one elected every
three years from and by each Division of the College, one elected annually from the
Academic Standards Committee by that body, one elected annually from the
Curriculum Committee by that body, one elected annually from the Steering
Committee by that body, and one additional member of the Faculty at large
appointed annually by the Steering Committee, with the proviso that should an Arts
and Sciences Faculty member be a member of the Campus-wide Budget Committee,
this appointee shall be that person. There shall be no more than one representative
from any Department in the College.
7.2 The election of the three members of the Faculty representing the Divisions of the
College shall precede the selection of the other four members.
7.3
The Committee shall elect its Chair annually from among its members.
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7.4
Each year, the Committee shall in a timely fashion obtain from the Dean's Office
all available information regarding the College budget and the process by which it
was arrived at, including, but not limited to average salary by rank, allocations to
each Department for other expenditures in the current and previous academic years,
and the College's portion of the campus budget relative to the other academic units
and to the total. This information will then be circulated to the Faculty in a manner
and format to be determined by the Committee.
7.5 Each Fall semester, the Budget Committee shall meet with Department Chairs and
program directors to discuss budget priorities for the College. It shall thereafter
advise the Dean regarding objectives and funding priorities and the necessary
allocations to achieve those objectives.
7.6 The Committee shall submit an annual report to the Faculty at the last regular meeting
of the academic year.
8. The Committee of Chairs.
8.1 The Committee of Chairs is composed of the chairs of Departments in the College of
Arts and Sciences.
8.2 The Committee shall elect a Chair from among its members each year.
8.3 The committee Chair may convene the Committee with the approval of the majority of
its members.
8.4 The Committee shall submit an annual report to the Faculty at the last Regular
meeting of the Faculty.
9. Dean's Committee on Promotion and Tenure.
9.1. The Committee is composed of three elected Professors on continuous appointment.
Chairs and administrators are ineligible.
9.2. The Committee includes one representative from each division, serving three-year
staggered terms.
9.3. The Committee shall review all Promotion and Tenure Portfolios and make
recommendations to the Dean.
9.4. Committee members may participate only at one level of the Promotion and Tenure
process.
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ARTICLE FOUR: Rules of Procedure
1. A quorum for a Regular meeting of the Faculty shall be twenty-five percent of the Faculty of
the College. A quorum for a Special meeting of the Faculty shall be 33 1/3 percent of the
Faculty of the College.
1.1 No business shall be conducted at any meeting, Regular or Special, that has not been
properly called.
2. All meetings of the Faculty shall normally be chaired by the Chair of the Faculty; minutes shall
be taken by the Vice Chair/Secretary. If the Vice Chair/Secretary is absent, the Chair shall
appoint a temporary Secretary.
2.1 If the Chair is absent, the Vice Chair/Secretary of the Faculty will preside, appointing a
temporary Secretary. If the Vice Chair/Secretary is absent, the Chair shall appoint a
temporary Secretary.
2.2 If both the Chair and the Vice-Chair/Secretary are absent, the Faculty will elect a
temporary Chair, who will then appoint a temporary Secretary. A member of the
Rules Committee will preside for the election of a temporary Chair.
3. Items on the agenda which are not in the form of motions will be open for discussion for a
maximum of fifteen minutes. The Chair shall allow a maximum of three minutes per
speaker. If at the end of fifteen minutes no motion relating to the topic has been made,
the Faculty will proceed to the next agenda item.
4. Only two amendments to an original motion may be proposed. The proposed amendments
must be acceptable to the mover and seconder of the motion. Amendments to motions
placed on the agenda by the Steering Committee do not require the Steering Committee’s
acceptance.
5. Motions to postpone agenda items, discussion, or action on motions on the floor may be
received at the discretion of the Chair. However, at the end of the allotted time the
Chair must receive a motion for postponement if such motion is offered and seconded.
5.1 Motions to postpone, when accepted by the Chair, take precedence over agenda
items and motions under discussion on the floor and terminate debate upon them.
5.2. A motion to postpone, however, does not not take precedence over a motion to
revise.
5.3. If a motion to postpone carries, the item under consideration retains its position on
the agenda at the next Regular meeting of the Faculty.
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6. A motion to revise may be received during discussion at the discretion of the Chair.
However, at the terminus of the allotted time the Chair must receive a motion for revision
if such motion is offered and seconded.
6.1 A motion to revise takes precedence over all motions. If a motion to revise carries,
the original motion, if it came from the Steering Committee, is returned to the
Steering Committee for revision. If the original motion came from an individual
Faculty member, the motion is then committed to an ad hoc committee of three
appointed by the Chair.
6.2. A motion to revise is merely procedural and not substantive. The language of a
motion to revise and the ensuing debate are merely advisory to the revising
committee. The item retains its place on the agenda at the next Regular meeting of
the Faculty.
7. Following the completion of a meeting’s business, the decision to accept or reject a motion
to adjourn is a prerogative of the Chair. Any adjournment, however, must take into
account the rule which provides that the last ten minutes shall be made available to
Faculty to propose agenda items for subsequent meetings.
8. The Chair of the Faculty will indicate the manner in which any vote is to be taken. If a secret
ballot is requested, the adoption of this procedure must immediately be voted on by a
show of hands.
9. Those members of the Rules Committee present shall advise the Faculty on the rules of
procedure whenever in the course of meetings it is necessary. Their rulings, citing the
relevant portions of the By-laws, shall be binding on the assembly. In the absence of any
members of the Rules Committee, the Chair and the Vice-Chair/Secretary shall serve as a
temporary Rules Committee.
10. The following time limits for debate, which shall be announced by the Chair prior to the
debate, shall be observed:
10.1 Motions presented by the Steering Committee shall be allowed thirty minutes of
debate.
10.2 Each speaker shall be allowed a maximum of five minutes.
10.3 A motion being considered for a second time as a result of postponement shall be
allowed a maximum of fifteen minutes for debate, unless it was postponed after less
than fifteen minutes of debate in the prior session, in which case it shall be allowed
thirty minutes. The amount of time allotted shall be announced by the Chair at the
time of postponement and again prior to the renewed debate.
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10.4 Motions which come before the Faculty as a result of revision shall be allowed a
maximum of thirty minutes. Each speaker shall be allowed a maximum of three
minutes.
10.5 Motions to postpone shall be granted ten minutes of debate. Each speaker shall be
limited to two minutes.
10.6 Motions to amend shall be granted ten minutes of debate; each speaker shall be
granted two minutes to address the proposed amendment.
10.7 Motions to revise shall be granted ten minutes of debate. Each speaker shall be
limited to two minutes.
10.8 Motions may be made to extend the limits of debate for a specified time; such
motions shall require a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting.
ARTICLE FIVE: Powers Reserved to the Faculty
1. The Faculty shall establish procedures and policies governing the work of the College.
2. The Faculty, by formal action at a regular meeting, or through the Steering Committee, may
report on matters of common concern through the Executive Committee of the Senate, or
directly to the Chancellor, and through him or her to the President of the University and
the Board of Curators, and may make recommendations pertaining to any aspect of the
functioning of the University of Missouri - Kansas City or the University of Missouri.
3. The Faculty establishes the general requirements for degrees conferred by the College of Arts
and Sciences
4. The Faculty recommends policies for the admission and retention of students.
5. The Faculty, with the appropriate administrative officers, recommends the addition or
deletion of academic programs and individual courses in the College.
6. The Faculty, through the Dean, shall notify the registrar of its degree requirements,
admission and retention standards, and individual course additions and deletions.
7. The Faculty, with the appropriate administrative officers, recommends candidates for
degrees.
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7.1 The Faculty may delegate to the Dean of the College the authority to certify
graduation lists.
8. The Faculty shall participate in the regular evaluation of the College's academic and
professional administrators.
9. The powers reserved to the Faculty in this Article can only be exercised at duly called Regular
Meetings of the Faculty.
ARTICLE SIX: Election Procedures
1. The Elections Committee shall consist of the Rules Committee, the Chair of the Faculty, and
the Vice-Chair/Secretary of the Faculty; it will be chaired by the Chair of the Rules
Committee.
2. Two weeks before the February Regular meeting of the Faculty, the Election Committee shall
circulate a list of Faculty (arranged by Division) eligible to serve as Faculty officers or
members of standing committees. Faculty members may notify the Elections Committee if
they prefer to be listed with another division; their choice will be binding until further
notice is given to the Elections Committee, but in any case for at least one calendar year.
3. At the February meeting, the Election Committee shall call for nominations for each position
from the floor. Nominations for Division-specific positions must come from Faculty in that
Division; nominations for the positions of Chair and Vice-Chair/Secretary may come from
Faculty in any Division.
4. After the February meeting, the Election Committee will ascertain the willingness of the
nominees to appear on the final ballot. A faculty-member may serve on no more than two
College committees at any one time. Faculty members nominated to more than two
committee offices (or more than one, if their current term on another committee extends
into the following year) must notify the Elections Committee which office or offices they
will run for. All eligible and willing candidates will then be placed on the slate.
5. If fewer than two individuals accept nomination for any position, the Steering Committee
shall make nominations for the vacancies. The Election Committee shall then ascertain the
nominees' willingness to serve if elected.
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6. At the March meeting of the Faculty, the Rules Committee shall announce the final slates.
Ballots shall then be communicated to all eligible members of the Faculty, with a twoweek deadline for their return. Each ballot shall be marked with the voter's divisional
affiliation. Except for the at-large positions (Chair and Vice-Chair/Secretary), the Faculty in
each division shall vote only for divisional candidates; votes for posts reserved to other
divisions will be disregarded.
7.
All elections will be decided by a majority vote of those casting ballots. If no candidate
receives a majority, a run-off election will be conducted immediately between the two
leading candidates (or more, in the case of ties for second place). Three-way run-off
elections will be decided by a plurality.
8. The members of the Election Committee shall serve as the official tellers for all elections.
8.1 All election ballots shall be counted at a meeting of the full Election Committee.
8.2 The Election Committee shall notify the Faculty of the date and location of the ballot
count at the March Regular meeting of the Faculty.
8.3 Any Department may send a representative to witness the counting of ballots.
9. The terms of office of the Faculty Chair-elect, Vice-Chair/Secretary-elect, and newly elected
members of Standing Committees shall commence on the first day of September
following the election.
10. In the event of a permanent vacancy on a Standing Committee, or if the College's
representative to the Graduate Council or the UMKC Faculty Senate is similarly unable to
carry on, the Steering Committee shall appoint a member of the Faculty to fill the office
until the next regular elections.
12. Conditions for specific elections:
12.1 Steering Committee: One member from each Division of the Faculty will be elected
to a three-year term on the Steering Committee each year. Department chairs,
program directors, and administrators may not serve on the Steering Committee.
12.2 Rules Committee: One member from each Division of the Faculty will be elected to a
three-year term on the Rules Committee each year. Departmental chairs and
program directors may serve on the Rules Committee; administrators are ineligible to
serve.
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12.3 Curriculum Committee: One member from each Division of the Faculty will be
elected to staggered three-year terms on the Curriculum Committee each year.
Departmental chairs and program directors may serve on the Curriculum Committee;
administrators are ineligible.
12.4 Academic Standards Committee: One member from each Division of the Faculty will
be elected to a three-year term on the Academic Standards Committee each year.
Department chairs and program directors may serve on the Academic Standards
Committee; administrators are ineligible.
12.5 Budget Committee: Each year a single member will be elected to a three-year term
from each Division whose term expires. Department chairs and program directors
may serve on the Budget Committee; administrators are ineligible.
12.6 Dean's Committee on Promotion and Tenure: Each year one Professor will be elected
to a three-year term from the Division whose term expires; the terms should be
staggered. Chairs and administrators are ineligible.
12.7 Representatives to the Graduate and Research Councils will be elected by the
members of the Graduate and Doctoral Faculties. Each year one member will be
elected to a three-year term from each Division whose term expires. Department
chairs and program directors may be elected; administrators are ineligible.
12.8 Representatives to the UMKC Senate will be elected in accordance with the rules and
regulations of that body. Divisional senators will be nominated and elected by and
from among divisional faculty members; At-large senators will be nominated and
elected by the entire faculty.
13. In the event of a permanent vacancy on a standing committee, the Steering Committee will
appoint a member of the Faculty from the affected Division to the position until the next
regularly scheduled elections, when a replacement will be elected to serve out whatever
may remain of the original term. In the event of leaves of a year or less, the Steering
Committee will appoint a member of the Faculty from the affected Division to the position
until the elected Committee-member returns from leave.
Article SEVEN:
Amendments to the By-Laws
1. The By-Laws of the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences can be amended by a threefifths majority of the Faculty, voting by mail or electronically in a manner to be
determined by the Steering Committee, but not during Regular or Special Meetings of the
Faculty.
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ARTICLE EIGHT: Removal from Office
1. By a vote of two thirds of the Faculty present, the Chair, Vice-Chair/Secretary, or any
member of a standing committee may be removed from office, provided a motion to that
effect has been duly placed on the agenda of a Regular meeting.